HELP-Need advice on itinerary.

[missygirl]

We are ready to book but still have one last question that I hope that someone will help me with.

Which island, St. Thomas or St. Maarten and why? I have researched and saw pictures and both are beautiful. We are wanting to do more sightseeing than beach, but we do want to go to the beach for a few hours. Also suggest a good beach location that we can rent chairs, snorkle, ect.

Thanks in advance for the suggestions.
Missygirl:)

[Host Walt]

We are ready to book but still have one last question that I hope that someone will help me with.

Which island, St. Thomas or St. Maarten and why? I have researched and saw pictures and both are beautiful. We are wanting to do more sightseeing than beach, but we do want to go to the beach for a few hours. Also suggest a good beach location that we can rent chairs, snorkle, ect.

Thanks in advance for the suggestions.
Missygirl:)Better variety of beaches and things to see and do in St. Thomas but St, Maarten will have fewer ships in port.

St. Thomas is part of the USA and St. Maarten is part of the Dutch Antilles (with a French part to the north).

St. Martin is our preference because of its uniqueness and international flavor. And it's small enough that you can get around the island rather easily. (And because we've been to St. Thomas too many times.)

[peaches from georgia]

St. Thomas is part of the USA and St. Maarten is part of the Dutch Antilles (with a French part to the north).

St. Martin is our preference because of its uniqueness and international flavor. And it's small enough that you can get around the island rather easily. (And because we've been to St. Thomas too many times.)
Agree with Walt for all the same reasons. :)

[Stevesan]

No beach snorkeling in St Maarten (or St Martin for that matter). Even the boat snorkeling is poor.

There's excellent beach snorkeling on St Thomas. Notably, Coki Beach.

http://www.cokidive.com/

Or ferry to St John for numerous first rate beaches w/snorkeling. The Most popular, Trunk Bay.

http://stjohnbeachguide.com/Trunk%20Bay.htm

http://www.**********/

[SnorkelBear]

Most ships stop in St. Thomas. If you plan to sail more in the future, skip St. Thomas this time. Otherwise;

Natural Beauty- St. Thomas, but only if you go to St. John. (Short ferry ride.) St. Thomas has it's beauty also, but it is much more developed.

Shopping- St. Thomas. More variety.

Snorkeling- St. Thomas. Especially St. John. On St T go to Coki Beach or Hull Bay. If you want to snorkel on Sint Maarten go to Dawn Beach. it is a bit of a swim out to the reef and it is not as good as St. T.

The unusual- St. Maarten. You can enjoy fine dining on the beach while naked people walk by. Not for the faint of heart as most of the bathers should have clothes on in my opinion. In the afternoon it is fun to spot who forgot to reapply more sunscreen after going au nateural.

For a tour on either island, talk to few taxi drivers until you find one that is engaging and enthusiastic. Negotiate a rate and ask lots of questions. Many drivers are very proud of their islands and love to share their knowledge.

Most important, have lots of fun.:D

[newmexicoNita]

Unless you really want to go to a nude beach or watch people walking around in little or no clothing I can't see how anyone would choose St Maartin over St Thomas. Yes, the french side is interesting and there are some decent places to eat and people watch, but St Thomas is much prettier than St Maartin, there is more to do, the snorkeling is much better and the shopping has better selections. I am not knocking St Maartin as we like the island, but I just think St Thomas has so much more to offer, better tours as well. NMNita

[YankeeCruiser]

I vote for St. Martin. DH and typically don't stay on the Dutch "side" of the island, but hop on the public bus ($2) and 30 minutes later you're on the French side... lots of good food/wine/shops to explore.

[elmorejj]

And if you are interested in duty free shopping, you can bring much more home from STT. Liquor restrictions from St Maarten are the same as any other foreign port, whereas from STT you can bring back 5 litres each.:cool:

[Krazy Kruizers]

There are times that St Maarten will have quite a few ships in port on the same day. In January 2005, we were on the Westerdam and there were 8 other ships there!!! It was horrible. Besides being a very windy day and haring people getting sick on the long and choppy tender ride,we decided to just stay on the ship.

[Krazy Kruizers]

If there aren't a lot of ships in St Maarten we like to go to Orient Beach.

[bepsf]

Book Noordam and you'll get both!
;)